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G. Surinamensis is a peaceful, relatively non-territorial cichlid,
with beautiful, almost iridescent patterns of blue, green and red
markings. As their common name suggests, they are ferocious diggers,
foraging constantly for food in the substrate. They are well designed
for this, with a long, sloping forehead and eyes placed high on their
head. They are slower growing than a lot of other SA cichlids and
it does take them a while to get to adult size.

Being more peaceful in nature than most cichlids of this size, they
are more suitable for large community tanks as they will not bother
smaller fish. However, this peacefulness makes them less suited to
tanks containing other large, more aggressive fish. When in situations
like this, they tend to spend a lot of time hiding and can become
stressed very easily.

Their juvenile coloration is considerably less dramatic that their
adult colours, but considering how beautiful they become as they grow,
it is well worth the wait. They are somewhat shy by nature and it
can take them a lot of time to be comfortable enough to come out and
visit their owners, but this will happen eventually and they can become
quite friendly.

Their preference, like many South American cichlids, is for softer
water and it has been many people's experience that hard water can
diminish their coloration, but I have not found this to be the case
with mine. They are hardy fish, tolerating a reasonable range of ph's,
but are most comfortable with a neutral ph.

Aquarium Set-up:

In the wild, G. Surinamensis are found in quiet pools and backwaters
in the rivers they inhabit. Their natural habitat does not contain
much in the way of plants, but has more large root systems and rocky
banks. Substrate should be sand or very fine, well rounded gravel,
as they spend a lot of their time sifting through it searching for
food, Larger, sharper types of gravel should be avoided as it can
cause injuries to their face and mouth. Any plants that are included
in the tank should be well secured otherwise they will be consistently
dug up and possibly nibbled on occasionally.

As they grow to a reasonable size, a tank of 55 gallons or larger
is necessary for a pair. They are comfortable in larger groups, so
they do well in larger, species-only tanks, but care should be taken
to make sure there is enough room for each fish to dig without banging
into a tankmate. The tank should be wider rather than taller, giving
as much substrate surface as possible for foraging. G. Surinamensis
are not overly fond of large, open spaces, but this can be gotten
around with the addition of floating plants or large pieces of driftwood
that allow swimming space underneath. Caves are a good addition as
well, as these fish like to have somewhere secure to retreat to between
feeding sessions

Good filtration is essential, as their constant digging will stir
up the substrate. Under gravel filters are not recommended, as they
will be uncovered on a regular basis. It is important to keep the
water quality high, as they are susceptible to HITH disease if kept
in poor conditions.

Feeding:

G. Surinamensis feed mainly on small crustaceans and substrate-dwelling
creatures in the wild. Their diet also contains a fair amount of vegetable
matter. Anything fed to them in an aquarium should sink, as their preferred
method of feeding is to sift through the substrate. They are fond of
foods such as whiteworms, bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp, but
animal proteins are not considered to be good for them. I currently
feed mine a mix of various small sinking pellets and a home-made mix
of green vegetables and shrimp, which they go crazy over. Spirulina
is a good addition to their diet, as it brings out their blue and green
coloration.

Compatibility:

These fish are peaceful by nature, considering their size, and are suitable
for large-scale community set-ups containing smaller SA species, such
as Tetras and Corydoras catfish. They do not consider smaller fish to
be food, and generally will not pay them much attention. They also are
very tolerant of each other, so can be kept in larger groups if tank
size permits. However, they tend to do poorly when in tanks with more
aggressive species such as Oscars, as they prefer to run than to stand
and defend themselves.

Breeding:

Male G. Surinamensis develop long extensions on their dorsal, anal and
tail fins. Females can also display extensions, but the males are usually
far more pronounced. They reach maturity at around 6", which is
approximately a year to a year and a half old. Eggs are generally laid
on a smooth piece of rock or a small pit dug into the substrate. Unlike
most SA cichlids, G. Surinamensis are partial mouthbrooders, either
parent will take the fertilised eggs in their mouth and hold them until
hatching which occurs around 3 days later. After hatching, the fry will
stay close to their parents, taking shelter in their mouths if danger
threatens. As with most cichlids, the parents will be very protective
while caring for a brood, and this is the only time that any serious
aggression will be shown. They breed more readily in softer water with
a neutral ph, and many people have had success using one of the "blackwater"
water conditioners that are available, as they simulate the fishes natural
habitat. I have had no success breeding my pair and I believe this is
due to the hard nature of my water. The picture above is of my male,
showing the long extensions on his fins

Personal Experiences:

I purchased a pair of these fish a little over 2 years ago knowing
next to nothing about them. At first, I did regret this decision,
as their juvenile coloration was somewhat boring and they tended to
hide a great deal. However, once they reached maturity, I soon changed
my mind. They are truly spectacular fish, with dramatic coloration
and a very good temperament. Anyone looking for an attractive, large
cichlid without the personality problems that come with many of them
should definitely consider these as an alternative.

Please remember that
the following comments are personal experiences and may or may
not apply to your setup. Use them as guide to help better understand
your fish, like us all individuals will behave differently under
different circumstances.

From: Henry AndrusDate:8/25/2009I recently bought
a geophagus and added him to my 100 gallon south American cichlid
display tank. His tankmates include a pair of oscars, a jewel
cichlid, a firemouth cichlid, a Texas cichlid and a pair of plecostomus.
So far he is doing very well he digs little pits everywhere and
constantly gets into quarrels with the smaller oscar. He never
hides unless forced to and is very friendly coming up to the front
of the tank to say hello to whoever walks by.
From: BrendanDate:1/11/2009I similarly picked
this guy up knowing next to nothing about the species. He never
showed the afore mentioned shyness, but I'm sure he is an exception
rather than the rule. I honestly never believed peoples assertions
that his colors would only become more striking as he aged, until
I saw a full adult in my friends tank. Mine shares a tank with
a green severum, a tyre track eel, some emerald rainbows, a festivum,
a plecostomus, an African butterfly, and a leopard ctenapoma.
While most of the previous descriptions of demeanor are observed,
mine is also a fairly accomplished guppy hunter, and frequently
"gums" the rainbows (mouths them to no apparent damage.) My only
advice is to make sure your substrate is small grained, and bears
no sharp edges, lest you enjoy busting out the needle nose pliers
to remove a piece of gravel from it's mouth...
From: Aithne PottsDate:4/17/2006I bought a geophagus
surinamensis recently as I have seen a more adult one and knew
how gorgeous the colouring would develop to be as my fish gets
older. Already it has gorgeous light blue shimmery patterning
on its head and gills and it is only about 5cm long. It is in
a tank with 10 neon tetras, 3 emperor tetras and two corydorus
catfish and they all get along really well. There is a castle
which would serve nicely as a cave for the surinamesis to hide
in but I find it doesn't hide much at all. It is very comfortable
swimming about with the other fish, mostly down the bottom but
coming up into the mid levels to feed with the others. I have
a large piece of driftwood in the tank with a Java fern attached
to it and the surinamesis loves to swim in and out of the leaves
and root system looking for lodged food. It hasn't yet started
to sift the gravel for food. Perhaps it is too little but it does
pick up and spit out bits of plant and bigger flakes when flake
feeding. It also loves frozen blood worm. My tank temp is 26C
and the ph is neutral. My surinamesis seems very happy and often
comes to the glass to say hello if I am sitting watching the fish.
I am thrilled to have chosen to add it to my tank.